SingStar
by brookemopolitan
Summary: Three girls have been found murdered in the alley behind a karaoke bar. Going undercover is the next logical step, right? A birthday fic for lalaurala-bones. Nominated for the 12th Precinct's Fan Awards: Best Crime Fic. COMPLETE


**A belated birthday present for the lovely ****lalaurala-bones (sunnyamazing on twitter, for those playing at home) who wanted to see the gang go to karaoke.**

**Completely unbetaed, I own all my mistakes. However, I don't own Castle, nor do I own the music of Michael Jackson and/or Joss Stone.**

* * *

Beckett knew in her gut that she had her guy. She _knew _it, but nothing ever stuck to Teflon John. Three girls had wound up sexually assaulted and murdered in the alley behind his club, but he swore blind he had nothing to do with it, that he never made appearances at his bar and none of his associates had any less than legal connections.

Beckett had watched his interrogation from behind the two-way glass. Ryan and Espo had the lead on this case, and she was dutifully fulfilling her role as number cruncher and doorknocker on the case. She was doing her best to let the boys run their case the way they saw fit, but it was becoming harder and harder to hold her tongue.

"That guy knows way more than he's letting on," Beckett muttered, resisting the urge to shudder as she walked back into the bullpen after escorting Teflon John from the Precinct (he'd made quite a few charming insinuations on the way down). "He's got a list of arrests he's slithered out of from Vice as long as my leg."

"Yeah, Beckett, we know that. His name cropped up plenty in Narc, too. We just can't prove it. Anything we've got on the guy is purely circumstantial and he knows it," Ryan replied, scrubbing a hand over his eyes.

Beckett sat silently, determined not to go Type A on the boys and tell them what they were supposed to do next.

"Would it be worth going undercover at the club?" Esposito mused.

She hid her smile; mama bear proud that her boys were thinking like real detectives.

"Could work. Like he said, he's never there. Might shake up a few of his associates," Ryan agreed. The boys both looked over at Beckett, identical expressions on their face.

"This is your case, guys," She reminded them. She couldn't help but let them squirm for a while, trying to decipher what she was saying. "But if you'd like Castle and I there for some extra eyes, I'm sure we can tear him away from edits."

* * *

Kate had given Castle a very firm talking to regarding their role for the evening; they were to be extra support and backup if necessary. They would not be calling the shots…tonight was the Rysposito show. Basically, their job was to show up, not act suspicious and do as they were told.

Castle was also required to loan the boys the Ferrari (Kate couldn't quite figure out why that was such a critical part of the plan, but she reminded herself that she wasn't questioning their detecting skills) and surrendered the keys to the Mercedes to her (that part of the plan made perfect sense; she was the detective _and_ the girl, and what she said goes).

Kate tossed him the keys and strutted through the door to the club, ignoring the security guard that looked her up and down.

"So the plan for tonight…?" Castle murmured, his hand slipping to her waist.

"Do as we're told. The boys seem to think that they'll get something that they can use. So we just sit with our eyes peeled."

"And if we don't get anything?"

Kate shrugged. "I guess you bought me a beer for nothing." She nodded towards the bar, waiting for Castle to take the hint.

She casually sauntered over to the boys. "Okay, what are we looking out for?"

"All three vics have been brunette, all over five seven and in their late 20s. Keep tabs on anyone matching the description, watch anyone watching them," Esposito shrugged.

"Sounds easy enough," Kate replied, grinning at Castle as she accepted the beer off him.

"Did you guys know that this is a karaoke bar?" Castle asked enthusiastically. "I already put my name down."

"No," Kate added stiffly. She death stared both the boys. "I wasn't aware that this was a karaoke bar."

Kate was scanning the room, hoping desperately that there would be another woman in the damn bar that matched the description of the vics. Nothing. She barely acknowledged that Castle was walking up to the mike.

"C'mon Beckett. All three vics were musicians. We _need _you," Ryan begged.

"We've got your back. I would do it for you, Beckett," Esposito added imploringly.

Kate groaned. "You get that I hate you both, right?"

"Just keep an eye out for anyone who looks like they want to choke you in an alley," Espo soothed her.

Kate flipped him The Bird, before scrawling a song choice onto the clipboard that was being passed around. She had freaking _known _that this was coming, but she still wasn't happy about being a rather critical part of the plan. She squared her shoulders, fixing her attention forward, determined to enjoy watching Castle make a fool of himself.

_Hey pretty baby with the high heels on__  
__You give me fever__  
__Like I've never, ever known__  
__You're just a product of loveliness__  
__I like the groove of your walk,__  
__Your talk, your dress_

Kate couldn't help the blush that spread across her cheeks. Of course Castle would choose one of the cheesiest songs of the eighties to serenade her in a dinky dive bar.

_I feel your fever__  
__From miles around__  
__I'll pick you up in my car__  
__And we'll paint the town__  
__Just kiss me baby__  
__And tell me twice__  
__That you're the one for me_

She gave up. She clapped along with the rest of the crowd, surprised by the richness of Castle's baritone. She'd heard him singing in the shower occasionally, but had been too busy giving him grief for his song choices (_Don't Cha_ by the Pussycat Dolls? Really?) and the amended lyrics to actually notice the quality of his voice. She really shouldn't have been surprised, given the way that his mother could belt a tune.

She barely contained her eye roll at the triumphant way he returned to their table. "You're a dork, you know that, right?" She teased.

"Yeah, but you love me anyway," he shot back.

She shrugged. "I guess. I mean, you do buy the right beer."

* * *

Ryan and Espo had both used their embarrassingly bad numbers to scope the place out, and had both muttered any intel to Kate along the way.

"Just watch the guy at 5 o'clock when you're on the stage," Espo warned her. Kate nodded seriously. She'd had her suspicions about the guy who looked like the Missing Link from the second she'd walked in the bar; he'd been staring at her like she was a snack the entire time.

Castle's hand dropped to the small of Kate's back. "Why do you have to watch out for Tall, Dark and Skulking over there?"

Kate perked up as her name was called. "The boys mustn't have told you either. Apparently I'm the bait," she informed him, pecking his cheek before sauntering up to the microphone. Screw it. She was going to draw the bastard out.

_I guess I'm picky with love__  
__Oh baby I give up it's you I choose_

Kate couldn't resist. She knew that she was on a sting, but none the less she shot Castle a cheeky wink.

_And don't keep me waiting__  
__This girl got things she needs to do__  
__If I was blind you'll help me see__  
__If I lost my mind you'll find it for me__  
__Speak on it babe tell me what do you need __  
__Because all I need you to love me baby__  
_

Kate absolutely hated the dippy way she had to sell the song. She felt like a total moron, but she could feel the eyes of the guy that Espo had ID'ed boring into her, and she figured that she was better to attempt to pique his interest, in the hopes of closing this freaking case and nailing the bastard to the wall.

_Put your hands on me baby__  
__Put your hands on me baby__  
__You got me flipping__  
__Put your hands on me baby__  
__Put your hands on me baby_

_Just kiss me baby__  
__Tell me you're mine__  
__Put your hands on me, baby_

She finished the song with a flourish, gave a little curtsey and hauled ass off the stage. "I'm sure it's him," Kate muttered to the guys, grabbing her purse. "Keep an eye out, I'm going to head to the bar."

Kate walked up towards the bar, certain to brush past the guy who had been staring at her the entire night. Unsurprisingly, he immediately followed her to the bar. She had to force herself not to gag when he used a pickup line that she hadn't heard since 1988 on her, and grudgingly returned his terrible flirting.

Kate was beginning to think he wasn't their guy, and that he was just a sleaze. "Well, I think I'm going to head back to my table now, but it was really lovely talking to you…" She trailed off, realising that he had no idea what the hell the name of the guy was.

"Try again, tease," the guy snarled in her ear. He grabbed her arm, pulling her toward the door that Kate knew led to the back alley where the other girls had been found dead.

The second that her feet crossed the threshold of the alley, Kate immediately jammed her foot into the guy's knee pit, following it with a swift elbow to his lower back.

She was just beginning to fumble through her handbag for cuffs, rattling off the guy's Miranda Rights when Ryan and Esposito barrelled through the doorway.

She neatly snapped the cuffs around his wrists. "All yours, boys," she muttered, dusting off the crap all over the knees of her jeans. She picked up her handbag and made her way back to Castle.

"You were the bait?" He asked, pulling her into an embrace before she could protest.

"It's my job, Castle," She replied gently.

"I hate that you were the bait," he muttered against her hair, squeezing her tighter.

"I hate that my job has ruined karaoke bars for me. This is the second sting I've ended up the bait for," she muttered. Kate pulled out of his embrace. "Take me home, Castle," she requested. "I'm going to kick your ass at SingStar."

* * *

**Happy Birthday my love!**


End file.
